A metal detectorist has tracked down a rare gold coin from Richard III's reign near to the site of the Battle of Bosworth.

The Half Angel is one of just a handful of such coins that have survived from the king's two-year reign.

It was discovered by Michelle Vall while she was taking part in a charity detecting rally in September at Monks Kirby, near the Bosworth Field. News of the discovery has just come to light.

The coin will be auctioned international coins, medals and jewellery specialist Dix Noonan Webb in London on December 13. It is expected to fetch up to £15,000.

The half angel is being auctioned off in London next month

Christopher Webb, head of the coins department at Dix Noonan Webb, said: "This is a very rare discovery that has miraculously survived in a field for more than five centuries.

“Its importance as a coin is enhanced by the tantalising possibility that it may have belonged to one of Richard’s army, whose defeat at Bosworth ended the Wars of the Roses and ushered in the Tudor dynasty."

Michelle, a 51-year-old primary school teaching assistant, from Blackpool, said: “After detecting for two-and-a-half hours in a farmer’s field, I got a signal.

“The coin was deep down, about 16 inches below the surface, and the soil there is thick clay so it took a bit of digging out.

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The Half Angel gold coin was first introduced in 1472 and was half the value of the Angel coin.

The rare gold coin was discovered near the site of the Battle of Bosworth

Richard III issues of the coin are rare because his reign was so brief and there has always been a big interest in items from the controversial king's rein particularly since his remains were discovered in Leicester in 2012.